


People Have the Power

by TobyJoeArmstrong



Category: LGBTQ+ - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Female Character of Color, Lesbian, Lesbian Character, Original Transgender Character, POV Female Character, Pride, Short Story, mtf, queer, transgender women, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-03 01:44:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10232900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TobyJoeArmstrong/pseuds/TobyJoeArmstrong
Summary: A short story about pride.





	

Lina was never quiet. All throughout her life, people told her that. Her parents, her teachers, her peers, everyone. They always said that she was never quiet. It wasn’t her fault, Lina had a lot to say. 

When she was young, she would talk about things normal little girls talked about; her day at school, animals, books she had read, etcetera. As she grew and learned about the world, the topics changed. By age 13, she was discussing politics with her parents at the dinner table, going through moral dilemmas and coming up with plans to fix the economy. 

Fast forward a few years and here she was, age 19 and struggling through college with a major in library science and a job as a barista at Starbucks. Still, she was never quiet. Now, instead of her parents saying it, professors and employers reiterated it. Lina was never quiet. But now, she had more to say.

It started when Lina had gone out to lunch with her girlfriend Harper. She went to college in the city, so it wasn’t uncommon for queer people to, well, be. But there she was, out eating with her girlfriend on one of those nice restaurants with a outdoor patios so they could enjoy the weather, when a man walked by and spat in their food. 

“Dykes,” he muttered, walking away.

Harper wasn’t sure how to react, but Lina sure as hell was. As not to upset her girlfriend, Lina let the blatant homophobia go. But from that moment on, words were formulating inside her head. 

Less than a week later, Lina had written a paper on the effects of oppression on a specific minority group. It came naturally too her. Lina was never quiet.  
It continued when Harper introduced her to a friend who was a black transgender woman. She had heard about the incident with the man, and offered her support and in addition, some resources. 

Natasha, the friend, had been to a queer support group in town that was a space for LGBTQ+ people to meet and talk. She was there every month. This peaked Lina’s interest, so when she was back in her dorm, she did some research. 

The organization not only did the support group, but held meetings for queer people, sponsored dances and charity events, and even ran a merch store. What really caught her eye was the upcoming rally. It was to fight for the rights of minorities. Without hesitating, Lina signed the attendance form and donated a few dollars to the organization.

By the time the rally rolled around, Lina had convinced her Harper to go the rally, along with Natasha. The three of them met up at Lina’s dorm and prepared. After painting their faces with the colors of various pride flags, they filled a backpack with water bottles and sunscreen. As a final touch, the three decorated a sign that said, “Respect existance or expect resistance!” They were ready. 

The walk there was accompanied with empowering punk music from Patti Smith played from an iPhone and many, many videos for Snapchat stories.

When they arrived, the crowd was large. Harper and Natasha quickly blended into the mix and began chanting and stomping their feet along with the people. There were young women with megaphones calling out “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist U.S.A.!” 

A tasteful Green Day reference, Lina thought. 

The energy was intoxicating, hundreds of people all dancing and jumping, chanting and cheering. Every color was visible, the queer colors, the racial rainbow, everything. Lina stared in awe.

After several moments of simply gaping at the celebration, she looked over to see Natasha dancing and chanting along with the crowd. With tears in her eyes, Lina made eye contact with Harper, who then grabbed her by the back of her neck and kissed her. When they broke apart, Lina took a deep breath and began to scream and sing and chant with power and passion along with the rest of the people.

After all, Lina was never quiet.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first 100% original work I've produced in a very long time! It took about 45 minutes to write, but I'm very proud of it! Let me know what you think, comments are much appreciated xx


End file.
